Digital rights management and enforcement is highly desirable in connection with digital content such as digital audio, digital video, digital text, digital data, digital multimedia, etc., where such digital content is to be distributed to users. Typical modes of distribution include tangible devices such as a magnetic (floppy) disk, a magnetic tape, an optical (compact) disk (CD), etc., and intangible media such as an electronic bulletin board, an electronic network, the Internet, etc. Upon being received by the user, such user renders, displays, or plays the digital content.
Typically, a content owner or rights owner or rights holder, such as an author, a publisher, a broadcaster, etc. (hereinafter content owner or rights holder), wishes to distribute such digital content to a user or recipient in exchange for a license fee or some other consideration. Such content owner, given the choice, would likely wish to restrict what the user can do with such distributed digital content. For example, the content owner may want to restrict the user from copying and re-distributing such content to a second user, at least in a manner that denies the content owner a license fee from such second user.
In addition, the content owner may wish to provide the user with the flexibility to purchase different types of use licenses at different license fees, while at the same time holding the user to the terms of whatever type of license is in fact purchased. For example, the content owner may wish to allow distributed digital content to be used only a limited number of times, only for a certain total time, only on a certain type of machine, only on a certain type of media player, only by a certain type of user, etc.
Currently, owners of digital rights content have to develop their own, unique licensing and protection computer application if they wish to record and enforce distribution and usage rights for their works transferred or displayed by streaming and download services through electronic mails, the communication and connectivity networks. This development is costly in time and financial resources, and requires not only access to those with technical system competence and “know-how,” but access to those who are competent in understanding the complexities of the related laws and practices. There has been a lack of user friendly and efficient platform for a user to publish and/or subscribe digital rights content.